move me...

"Forgive us for the ways in which we are 

bewitched,

too settled,

at ease in false places"

The Storms Will Come

The storms will come.


Its not a matter of If…
                             Or Might….
                                 Or Maybe……
No, the storms will come.

The waters will rage
The winds will batter
The rain will pound
The earth will shake

And it doesn’t matter
if you thought you were impervious;
if you believed you were strong;
if you convinced yourself that all your days would be tranquil and calm…

The storms will still come.


But why do some people have to endure
        ferocious hurricanes
              and torrential tsunamis
                    and life shattering quakes
while I “suffer” mild ripples of inconvenience.

Why do some people experience
         frost bitten nights
               unending hunger pains
                    and dreary, dismal futures
while I complain of too many opportunities


Why do your storms painfully ravage
While mine lightly d
                              r
                               i
                                z 
                                 z           
                                  l  
                                   e...


Yes, the storms will come
     And Yes, on this Rock I will stand firm
           And Yes, He can shelter and secure you too…
But that doesn’t mean that the tempest is fair…
It does not rage the same everywhere.

Glimpses of Beauty

I recently attended a women's event at my church focusing on finding the beauty in hard, foreign, strange places.  We connected over sharing areas in our lives that were difficult, desperately trying to search for the beauty hidden in them.  As part of the event we did a stream of conscious/free-write list of things that give us life in the midst of challenging circumstances...things that keep us from giving up... that give us a glimpse of God's grace and goodness when it seems near impossible to find a silver lining. 

Here were mine-(written within the 3 (or so) min time limit)

sunlight sparkling on the ocean
the soft band of peach across the horizon before the sun dips out of sight
fields dotted with golden pools of water at sunset
the coolness of grass on my bare feet on a warm day
the warmth of a good hard hug
the intoxicating smell of perfectly ripe tangerines
thin whipsy clouds in the stratosphere with thick billowy cumulous clouds in the forefront
the linger of dark chocolate on my tongue
the crash of waves against the cliffs....
               (there is something beautiful and soulfully soothing in the violence and turbulence of the water)
worn pieces of sea glass
a perfect cappuccino
the hide and seek of sunlight and shadow against mountains and canyons
sea gulls floating on the breeze
the sight of worn and weathered hands
Truth in unexpected places
candles and Nora Jones
sharing a full-bodied glass of wine on with good friends


Undoubtedly there are countless more things... but these are at the top of my list.  On a hard day, drinking a cappuccino while staring out across the ocean allows me to breathe a little easier.  It gives me perspective.  It gives me Hope.  It reminds me that God is Love, and Good, and Creative, and Amazing...  It makes me stop- even if only for a moment- and remember that I am surrounded by blessings and grandeur.  In the midst of my tumult there is rest for my soul.  These things keep me alive when I am fading and give me strength to face another day.  He has surrounded me with glimpses of beauty when I feel lost in darkness.

Simply Holy

I know I have broken your trust and promised posts and not delivered....I'm not sure why you're reading this right now with the spotty history that I have exhibited...but I am done with excuses and explanations.  (if i don't promise anything I can't let you down!)  :)  I will say that sometimes the desire to Blog doesn't perfectly translate into post.  But on to the meat and potatoes-leaving behind the old and surging on to something new and exciting.

Not long ago I was accused of blasphemous speech as a result of my over usage of ‘holy vocabulary’.  It was said that by over using such words as “heavenly” or “glorious” I was degrading their value to common place adjectives.  Saying, for instance “this cheesecake tastes heavenly” or “that sunset is glorious” (which I admittedly do often) was sacrilegious.  This person asked… “do you really think so little of heaven or glory to throw them around so lightly?”  Which got me thinking…

 

As I ate a delectable pain au chocolat from the Bouchon Bakery in Yountville this morning I contemplated this description dilemma…   it was a crisp, buttery, flakey exterior with a soft doughy center graced by two smooth rich decadent dark chocolate logs whose sweetness was perfectly complimented by the saltiness of the excessive amounts of butter used in its preparation.  And… after a moment’s pause I could not think of another word other than….mmmmmmm…..heavenly.   

 

The glistening grape leaves of gold and garnet with spatterings of chartreuse heavily hung on the vines…. The play of shadow and sun light through billowy cumulous clouds in a sapphire sky... The kaleidoscope of colors (and enticing smells) at a local Farmer’s Market… the bite of the autumn air on your nose whilst your body is kept cozy with a soft plum pashmina… all these are simply…glorious.

 

And though I may be guilty of sometimes using these terms without always fully thinking through their meaning, I firmly assert that they should be used more and not less.  For in all these things that I find delight is the Glory of God.  In all these things that tickle my tongue with happiness or amaze my eyes with the splendor of creation is His holiness… a piece of heaven in this life on earth.  What better way to describe the wonders around than to do so through acknowledging He who blessed us with them all.  Heaven is in the smallest and simplest things… His glory is reflected in the common place every day that we may rarely notice.  More often than not we take God out of the world around us by merely acknowledge “its” beauty and not His role in making it so.  Everything from Him is holy and we are to bask in the enjoyment of it! 

apologies...

So I know it may seem as though i have failed at my first attempt of consistency with blogging.... and in actually I have... BUT i do think i have some rather compelling excuses that may cause you to extend a wee bit o' leniency and grace in my direction.

1) I was off galavanting in Shanghai and experiencing the magnificent World's Expo!!  (hhmmmm maybe not the most compassion eliciting argument to start with...)
2)So- to the real hinderance: my computer.... died.  I am still in shock. I actually felt physically ill.  I am quite despondent.  a year's worth of photos... email contacts....essential information...  GONE.  all  gone.
            
  I'm having trouble coming to grips with the severe reality of this predicament.  i'm currently using my roomie's computer to convey my sentiments to you- (so that you know that I have some sort of explanation for my absence, and hopefully will take pity on my in my dire situation).  the ONLY thing that I can take solace in right now is: the brevity and fragility of material things has no lasting effect on the purpose and fulfillment of my life.
  I think that God has been trying to teach me a bit of a lesson.  maybe I was becoming too comfortable with my easy access to the world on the other side of the Great Wall.  too prideful in my pictures.  too attached to things other than HIM. 

So here I am.  Stripped of my comfort.  Trying, desperately trying, to remind myself of the many blessings and the bounty in my life.  I feel pathetic to be having such an extreme reaction to the simple crashing of a piece of technology. but in honesty, by heart does ache.  my head spins everytime I realize something else that is irreplaceable is unrecoverable.  I want to let it go and be joyful and praise the trials knowing that God is up to something. ... maybe I'll get there soon.  but for now- i'd take a plane ticket home and a magic "undo" button that will bring back all that was lost.



hopefully new posts with pictures and things will come soon...